Hebrews 11:7

It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before.

The account of Noah building an ark and saving his family together with vast numbers of birds and animals is a story of enormous courage. The world had never seen a flood like this before, so the idea of Noah building a vast boat would have seemed absurd to all those around him. And the idea of packing the boat with smelly wildlife would have appeared even more ludicrous and challenging. But Noah did these amazing things for one reason: he was a man of faith. In this chapter the writer to the Hebrews unpacks what it means to live by faith, and Noah offers us an inspiring example.

Most of us spend much of our lives conforming. We fit in with society and the people around us and just get on with life. I’m not criticising that approach, but it makes me wonder how we would respond if God asked us to do something that everyone else would consider deeply weird. Through the centuries God has often asked people to do such things. When, at the end of the 18th century, William Carey heard God calling him to take the gospel to India he met a barrage of criticism. One senior Christian leader said: “Young man, sit down; when God is pleased to convert the heathen world, He will do it without your help or mine.” He called Carey “a most miserable enthusiast”. Although Carey was mortified by the experience, he didn’t give up. Carey became the father of modern missions and his influence enabled millions of people to hear the good news of Jesus.

Question

What would you do if God invited you to do something unlike anything you had ever done before?

Prayer

Loving God, I thank you for inviting me to travel with you on this exciting journey of faith. Amen